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( ( } Also, the court\ order provided that the o4 of the complete testing procedure as outlined in the order was adopted to arrive at as definitive a scientific determination as possible and to fore- close the necessity of similar scientific examinations in the E> future. This provision was also a significant point during cross examination of the experts, with all seven experts later admitting during cross examination that any additional tests would be either unnecessary or inconclusive. In the joint report issued by the experts after the test and examination, no additional test procedures were recommended. Review of Facts and Disputes The potential refiring of the Sirhan weapon received nationwide publicity, with underlying ramifications that perhaps a major conspiracy was about to be. unfolded, and dramatic new dis- coveries which might lead to the disclosure of a second gun. Lost in this battle of words and accusations was the sevenyear overture to the ballistics examination. The orchestration of events, issues, allegations, suspicions, media happenings, and the resulting merger of myth and reality that surrounded political as- Sassinations and conspiracy theories were all about to be erystallized in the ballistics tests and examination. In reality, this particular hearing had, for its foundation, the bare essentials that there had only been a few legitimate discrepancies and mistakes which justified the accusation that there were unex- Plained problems in the Sirhan case. Basically and specifically, the underground press, the two gun t adunanata anA Fh natinanal at Aad Fanieadn -» fer oroehlams ~~ aavocates, ana tne Nationa. mecia Maa Tocusead on a ew proclens that had been dramatized into various scenarios exaggerated on es- sentially the same theme. There had been the mismarked envelope, and the fact that the scientific evidence admitted before the trial court did not actually reflect that the Sirhan weapon fired the particular evidence bullets in People’s 55. Additionally, two ecriminalists, William Harper and Herbert MacDonell, had expressed reservations, based primarily on photographs, and not through traditional examination through a classical comparison microscope, that People's Exhibit 47 and 54 did not match up, thus suggesting that two guns fired the two bullets. Additionally, MacDonell had advanced the theory that the cannelures on these two bullets were different, which also suggested two guns. Neither Harper, nor Lowell Bradford, ever raised the cannelure issue. Additionally, Harper had admitted that he still felt that there was "more work to do" and was not really sure that, without a comparison microscope, his examination was that valid. Finally, the fact that the conviction of Sirhan had been upheld by every appellate court in California and by the U.S. Supreme Court, and the fact that all of the most recent allegations regarding two guns, cannelures, mis- marked envelopes, a possible security guard shooting his gun, additional "bullet holes," doorframes, AP photographs, and the like, had all been raised in a writ filed with the State Supreme Court in January, 1975, by Sirhan's attorney and promptly denied by the State Supreme Court in February, 1975, further emphasized that there was very little, if any, evidence to suggest any possibility C) of a second gun.